Summer is drifting away and soon fall will be at our heels. Autumn begins on September 22 and the air is already beginning to change here in Massachusetts. The roses in my garden will soon give way to pumpkins on the porch. Mother Nature will take out her palette and begin to paint the trees lush colors of burgundy, saffron, gold, and scarlet. I think autumn may just be my favorite season. There is nothing prettier than fall in New England.

In this issue you will find some fun stories, activities and crafts to welcome the transformation of the trees. September also heralds the return of school and I offer some curriculum connections to use throughout the year. September 21 is World Peace Day and October 24 is United Nations Day and I am giving you a head start by offering some websites to complement these two important days.

On Saturday, September 26, the Story Café at ArtWorks will host storyteller Simon Brooks from New Hampshire. This is one event you don’t want to miss; Simon is brilliant!

I have added a new section to the newsletter for Storytelling and Spoken Word Events so you won’t miss a thing. I hope you will take a look and perhaps treat yourself and attend some of these wonderful venues. Storytelling is not just for children!

Don’t forget, the very first Granite State Storytelling Festival is on October 17 in New London, New Hampshire. I will be telling on Saturday afternoon and there will be a host of talented tellers throughout the day to tickle your tales! Please stop by and say hello.

In October I will be attending the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. It is a weekend filled with exceptional tellers from around the globe, set in the oldest town in Tennessee. Magically, time seems to both stand still and fly when I am there and I always return home filled to the brim, satiated by the the wonder of words. I hope one day you can travel there and experience it for yourself.

As always, I would love to hear from you. Drop me an email at storybug@aol.com if you have any suggestions or comments.

Warm wishes,

Karen

Image: Scheherazade Went on with Her Story. Arabian Nights - Illustrated by Virginia Frances Sterrett

Catch the Storybug - Fall will soon give way to Father Frost but while we can still revel among the foliage take a bite out of some apples tales that will, delight and nourish you on my blog at http://tinyurl.com/mztbzp

Can Such Things Be? Short stories, published in 1910, from the talented Ambrose Bierce, courtesy of Gutenberg.org. I am sure you will find some spine tingling tales to add to your storytelling repertoire. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4366

Catch the Storybug - Stop by my website for an array of tales to fright and delight your audiences. http://tinyurl.com/lnx7fp

Myths From Around the World - Explore myths from distant countries from India, Egypt, Japan, and more. http://tinyurl.com/n9mre

4 TO 40 - The name of this interesting site is based on their goal to cover age groups from 4 to 40. Offering folktales and stories from around the world, including Jakarta, Estonian and Ukrainian folktales, as well as the Panchatantra and more, I would say this site is ageless! http://www.4to40.com/contents.htm

“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”

Mhatma Gandhi

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Exploring World Cultures Through Folk Tales - Students will gain an appreciation of other cultures as they read folktales from around the world; research the folk tale’s country of origin and present their story and research to the class. http://tinyurl.com/lg7p6g

Myth Writing Workshop - Award winning author Jane Yolen will help your student write a story that will explain a natural phenomenon using writing strategies and warm-up activities. http://tinyurl.com/n81c

Peace Corps World Wise Schools -Subscribe and listen to stories written and read by Peace Corps Volunteers who served around the world, from Bulgaria to Uzbekistan. New stories arrive each month. http://tinyurl.com/ljqyh7

Ten Ways to celebrate United Nation’s Day -Not every decoration that goes up during the month of October is about Halloween.” Help you students and patrons gain a view of the world! http://tinyurl.com/n8o6ff

Songs for Teaching - A great site to find songs for your stories that tie into curriculum guidelines. There are Teacher Tips and Lesson Plans, Guidelines for implementing music in the classroom and songs about everyday life, diversity and family. This is the place to be to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart! http://www.songsforteaching.com/

October 23-25, 2009 Humarock Beach, Scituate, MA
Creativity Through Storytelling Workshop. Jay O’Callahan will lead this weekend workshop with Mandi Kujawa. You need not be a “professional storyteller”, only someone interested in creativity. Limited to 9 participants. Call: 800-626-5356

October 28 - November 1, 2009 Humarock Beach, Scituate, MA
Five-day Writing and Storytelling Workshop Jay O’Callahan will lead this five-day workshop with Mandi Kujawa. Open to those who have had significant storytelling experience, this 5-day workshop offers an in-depth opportunity to work with the art and craft of storytelling. Call: 800-626-5356

October 31, 2009 North Andover, MA
Rolling Ridge Conference Center. The Healing Power of Story: Part 2 offers a deeper exploration of the application of healing story to individuals’ work and practice. 6CEUs available for social workers and licensed mental health workers. Cost: $80.00 (plus $20 CEU fee) Lunch Included. Lani Peterson, Psy.D. http://www.lanipeterson.com or call (978)387-5990.

December 4 - 6, 2009 Bethlehem, IN
WOW Storytelling Weekends, co-facilitated by Mary Hamilton and Cynthia Changaris, give storytellers the opportunity to work on their work in a small group (max. of 8). $150.00 includes two nights lodging and six meals. http://tinyurl.com/nj4rku

December 6, 2009 Concord, MA
Forgiveness: Therapeutic Approaches through Story - (Women only.) Concord, MA. For more information: The Women’s Well at www.womenswell.com or www.wisdomtales.com/healing.html

New Bedford, MA - The Story Café at ArtWorks. Adult storytelling venue and open mic once a month. For dates and featured performers through 2010 and complete information visit http://tinyurl.com/mjsrha. Free admission; pass the hat for the feature. Come listen, laugh and support the arts!

Rochester, NH - Storytelling in the Pantry - Catering to the Spoken Word at The Portable Pantry at 12 Hanson Street on the 2nd Friday of each month. Different theme; take part in the open mic, or just come to listen and enjoy! For information call 603-948-2035

Mission to Liberia - This cause is near to my heart as one of my dear friends is connected with this agency. “Old shoes. Very old shoes. These took me on foot, away from the gunfire, far from the shelling of embattled Liberia, my homeland. Joseph Deranamie recounts his days fleeing as a refugee. Mission to Liberia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving the health care needs of fellow Liberians who did not escape the devastation that decades of civil war left behind.” http://missiontoliberia.org/%20

Untiny.me

You may notice that many of the URL’s in my newsletter begin with http://tinyurl.com. This service turns very long web addresses into shorter ones. Untiny.me retrieves the original so you will be able to access it if it is blocked by your server. http://untiny.me/

About Catch the Storybug Newsletter

This monthly or bi-monthly newsletter is researched and written by Karen Chace, Professional Storyteller, Author, Web Researcher, Workshop Leader, Storytelling Teacher and Story Coach.